More and more people are starting to eat a gluten-free diet due to a variety of health reasons. As with any other diet, slipping from time to time is unavoidable.
However, these lapses in judgment can have more serious consequences for people who suffer from celiac disease or other kinds of gluten sensitivity. Unfortunately, avoiding the protein can be difficult, especially with the many foods out there that surprisingly contain it. These are some of the grocery store items people least suspect to have gluten.
Certain Beers
Here’s a reminder to be more mindful of your regular drink order. Some beers may have gluten in them due to the kind of grains used to make them.
As a general rule, people are advised to only consume beer that has a gluten-free label to be safe. Still, there are experts who warn against the drinking of gluten-removed beers as the amount of gluten that’s actually removed remains in question.
That doesn’t mean that people with celiac disease can no longer enjoy a drink though. While a good amount of beer is off-limits, other alcoholic drinks like hard liquor and wine are still fine to consume.
Granola Bars & Candies
Store-bought granola bars and candies may seem like great go-to’s for easy snacking but a lot of them, unfortunately, have gluten. So, unless these items are labeled as gluten-free, it’s best to assume the opposite.
Granola bars’ gluten content primarily comes from ingredients like millet, oats, amaranth, and other whole grains. Barley-derived malt syrup or extract is also a common culprit in these snacks.
Meanwhile, experts differentiate between European and American chocolates. The former typically don’t use malt in their recipe and therefore have a higher chance of being gluten-free.
Fortunately, there are still plenty of other safe and affordable bets in the sweets aisle. The Celiac Disease Foundation has actually compiled a helpful list of these products for the convenience of celiacs with a sweet tooth.
Potato Chips
Not all potato chips are safe foods for celiacs, especially the flavored variety. This is because the seasonings used in making these chips tastier use soy sauce, wheat starch and malt vinegar, all of which have gluten in them.
As an alternative, people with celiac disease are recommended to just go the safe route and make their own potato chips at home. Do this by frying or baking thinly-sliced potatoes in olive oil until they are crisp. Don’t forget to season them with herbs like black pepper, garlic, rosemary, and thyme, too.